The Toxic Substance Control Act celebrated its 37 year old birthday recently. During its life it hasn’t been amended or modified. How many other laws can make this claim? Worse yet, since its inception 80,000 chemicals have freely passed into our lives with little or no scrutiny.
Although some would say that we live a better life due to these 80,000 chemicals, we have paid an enormous price. Disease is on the uprise.
In the past two decades, cancer rates have risen significantly which includes “kidney, liver, thyroid, esophageal, and testicular cancer in men; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, melanoma, and cancers of the thyroid, liver, and kidney in women; and childhood cancers overall, especially childhood leukemia and brain cancer.”
Enter the Stroller Brigade
On October 30, 2013, over 200 parents, cancer survivors, advocates, and nurses gathered as part of the Stroller Brigade in Washington DC to ask Congress to overhaul this antiquated law. Actress Jennifer Beals, a spokesperson for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, eloquently stated:
“Like many of you, I started my journey in the quest for strong laws on toxic chemicals because quite simply I am a mother and I am tired of feeling like I have to have a PhD in toxicology in order to be a competent parent. I am tired of being a detective, hunting the Internet for clues as to what product is safe and what product is not safe and why.”
I am tired too. Aren’t you?
What Can You Do?
The new proposed legislation, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act , does not adequately protect pregnant women, children and vulnerable communities.
With your voice, we can push to strengthen the current pending legislation.
1. Tweet the following to your Senator: You can find their twitter handles here.
To @EnterYourSenator: Help protect our children with #RealReform on
toxic chemicals. Saferchemicals.org #StrollerBrigade
2. Call Congress at the number listed above.
3. Urge your senators to strength the bill. Sign here.
4. Vote with your dollar. Support companies that make organic and nontoxic products.
5. Continue to support the #Mind the Store Campaign urging the top 10 retailers to remove products from their shelves that contain 100 hazardous chemicals.
The time is now to say “no to toxic chemicals” that are harming our families.
Join the Conversation:
- What have you done to decrease your exposure of toxic chemicals?
Photos courtesy of Safer Chemicals
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- Urgent! Tell Congress to Pass Pending Safe Chemicals Act
- The Coalition for Chemical Safety, Front for Status Quo Toxic Chemicals
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Lindsay says
October 31, 2013 at 3:16 pmThanks Anna for inspiring people to take action from home!!! We need all the support we can get. Movement is inevitable, let’s just make sure reform is REAL!
Steve says
November 5, 2013 at 5:56 pmOf course we can also look for options where we just do away with human-made chemicals altogether. Technology now replaces the needed for chemical laundry cleaners; some toothpaste options are so safe you can eat them; etc. Look for ingredients you understand when you read them and it helps a lot. Not always available, I know … but the more we demand that with our dollars, the more businesses will offer it, and the less we’ll need politicians to take action to protect the people.